Jem'Hadar
A genetically engineered humanoid race from the Gamma Quadrant, the Jem'Hadar were the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy during their time. Physiology Jem'Hadar are bred in "birthing chambers." Their growth cycle is accelerated, such that they reach full maturity only three days after emergence. They do not interbreed, and so their species has no females. As infants, Jem'Hadar strongly resemble mammalian species, with a complexion resembling that of Humans; within a day of maturation, Jem'Hadar children already have advanced language skills and cognitive reasoning; as they age, their skin pales to a bluish-white, and becomes scaly and reptilian in appearance. Adolescent Jem'Hadar require food for nourishment. Adult Jem'Hadar do not require sleep, and their sole source of nourishment is the drug ketracel-white, which provides the Jem'Hadar with all necessary nutrients, as well as an isogenic enzyme that has been deliberately omitted from their metabolism. As a result, all Jem'Hadar are addicted to "the white," which is regularly distributed to them by Vorta overseers. This is the Founders' means of ensuring the Jem'Hadar's loyalty to them. Without a steady supply of white, Jem'Hadar suffer withdrawal symptoms: their circulatory systems began to shut down, beginning with muscle spasms. Psychologically, they become uncontrollably violent, attacking their enemies, then their Vorta overseers, and finally each other. Jem'Hadar are designed to have excellent vision and strength several times greater than Humans. They also have the ability to "shroud" themselves, a form of camouflage that acts as a personal cloaking field, effectively hiding them and their weapons from both sensors and the naked eye. However, they must drop this effect when attacking. Also, Jem'Hadar lose the ability to shroud when they are suffering withdrawal from the white. Jem'Hadar have extremely resilient bodies, such that phaser beams on "stun" intensity have no effect on them. During the Dominion War, Federation fighters quickly learned that only lethal settings could be used to stop them. After an enormous Jem'Hadar fleet was eliminated inside the Bajoran wormhole during Operation Return, the Gamma Quadrant was effectively sealed off from the Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion began to breed Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Alpha Quadrant known as "Alphas" in 2374. The Alphas' genetic and psychological profiles were designed specifically for combat in that Quadrant, and so the Alphas were regarded – largely by themselves – as being superior to original "Gamma" Jem'Hadar, so their introduction led to considerable friction with their Gamma Quadrant counterparts. The Founders believed this made them better leaders than the Gammas, though this opinion may have been revised after one of the Alphas' first missions, led by Kudak'Etan, became a disastrous failure. Psychology and Lifestyle Jem'Hadar are engineered to be soldiers and ship crewers, and nothing more. Their culture shuns all forms of relaxation and recreation, on the belief that such things make them weak. For the same reason, Jem'Hadar fighters, and probably other classes of Jem'Hadar starships, are not equipped with chairs. Like the Vorta, the Jem'Hadar are genetically engineered to revere the Founders as gods and to be unquestioningly loyal to them. However, this engineering was not flawless, which is why it was necessary to make them dependent on the white. When a Jem'Hadar company assigned to a Dominion science team on Vandros IV rebelled, Dominion experts nervously predicted that they could gather support from other Jem'Hadar units in the Gamma Quadrant, and effect a complete takeover of the Dominion in less than a year. Most Jem'Hadar died young in battle; as such, it was rare for them to live past 15 years of age. Few ever lived to the age of 20, and those who did were awarded the title "Honored Elders." To date, no Jem'Hadar has ever lived to the age of 30. Culture and Tradition Although the Jem'Hadar worship the Founders as gods, the vast majority of the Jem'Hadar have never actually seen a Founder, and some doubt that they even exist. Yet they have built their service to the shapeshifters into a religion, literally regarding the Founders as living gods, to the extent that the Jem'Hadar ritualistically commit suicide if they fail to protect a shapeshifter from harm. The Vorta, as the representatives of the Founders, are also given immense loyalty by most Jem'Hadar – even when such loyalty seems unwarranted. Absolute obedience from the Jem'Hadar is further guaranteed by the Vortas' control of the ketracel-white. Although the glory of the Founders means everything for the Jem'Hadar, they also show a strong sense of honor for themselves. Ikat'ika, First of Dominion Internment Camp 371 showed this, when he refused to kill Worf, even after he was ordered to by his superior Vorta. He chose rather to yield the fight than to kill Worf, saying "I cannot defeat this Klingon. All I can do is kill him, and that no longer holds my interest." He was ordered to be shot for this insubordination. This indicates that a Jem'Hadar might prefer insubordination and therefore death to doing something he considers to be dishonorable Jem'Hadar combat units follow a very specific hierarchy. Normally, a Vorta commands one or several units. Every unit contains a Jem'Hadar First, who is in command. Each Jem'Hadar after the First is also given a number rank (Second, Third, Fourth, etc.). In the event the First is killed, the Second shall take over for the First, the Third will take over Second, and so forth. Although the succeeding Jem'Hadar will take over the duties of his superior, he will only receive the higher number rank if his Vorta commander allows it. Ritual Practices Before each battle, the following ritual is observed by the Jem'Hadar: First: "I am Rank Name, and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This, we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember - victory is life." Jem'Hadar: "Victory is life." When ketracel-white is dispensed, the following ritual exchange usually takes place between the Vorta overseer and the ranking Jem'Hadar: Vorta: "Rank Name, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?" First (or ranking Jem'Hadar): "We pledge our loyalty to the Founders from now until death." Vorta: "Then receive this reward from the Founders. May it keep you strong." Jem'Hadar Firsts were also capable of distributing the white among those under their command. By 2374, Alpha Jem'Hadar no longer recited the ritual dispersal statement, as they believed they demonstrated their loyalty by their actions, not their words. Technology and Equipment Uniforms: Jem'Hadar uniforms allow their wearers to be almost completely unaffected by many forms of anti-personnel force field. Weaponry: Jem'Hadar carry plasma weapons in both plasma rifle and pistol variants, capable of firing lethal disruptor bursts with anti-coagulants that are designed to slowly kill their enemies if the burst itself does not. The weapons have at least two other settings: they are able to stun, and fire a more powerful burst capable of vaporizing a humanoid target. Melee Weapons: In close quarters, Jem'Hadar prefer the kar'takin. Category:Dominion Category:Militaries